Rams Take Doubleheader over Merchant Marine

Game One: Farmingdale State - 13, Merchant Marine - 8

Game Two: Farmingdale State - 4, Merchant Marine - 3

Kings Point, N.Y. - The Farmingdale State softball team improved to 9-5 overall with two wins over Merchant Marine in a non-conference game on Wednesday night at Kings Point Park. The Rams took the first game 13-8 and then followed with a 4-3 victory.

In game one, Farmingdale State jumped out to a quick lead with five runs in the first inning on three hits. Freshman second baseman Maressa Mistretta (Shirley, N.Y./Longwood) came home on a wild pitch to score the first run. Junior shortstop Nicole Farber (Oakdale, N.Y./Connetquot) knocked in the second run with a fielder's choice, before sophomore first baseman Aubrey Walker (West Babylon, N.Y./West Babylon) doubled to centerfield for another run scored. Freshman catcher Jennifer Jarczynski (West Babylon, N.Y./West Babylon) singled to left center to score Walker from third, and then stole home for the final run of the inning.

Merchant Marine got three runs back in the bottom of the inning and would hold the Rams until the third where they scored four more runs on six hits. Farber led off the inning with a homerun to left field, her sixth of the season, and Walker made it back-to-back homers with her sixth of the season to make it 7-3 Rams. Mistretta hit a 2 RBI single to left fied to increase the lead to 9-3.

The Mariners responded with two runs for a 9-5 score, but freshman pitcher Lauren Fitzpatrick (Huntington, N.Y./Walt Whitman) allowed just five hits over the next four innings to secure the 11-8 victory. Fitzpatrick holds a 2-0 record so far this season.

In the second game of the night, Farber got the start on the mound and brought in sophomore centerfielder Kaitlin Keenan (West Islip, N.Y./West Islip) from second base in the first inning with a double to left center for the 1-0 lead.

Merchant Marine tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the second inning off two errors and one hit. The third inning went scoreless.

In the fourth inning, sophomore shortstop Shelby Martin (New Paltz, N.Y./New Paltz) homered to left centerfield to give the Rams a 2-1 lead. But the Mariners scored two runs in the bottom of the inning off three singles to take their only lead of the game, 3-2.

The fifth inning went scoreless and in the top of the sixth Keenan homered to center field to tie the game at 3-3. Farber singled to get on base and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Walker singled to left which moved Farber over to third base. An error by the second baseman would let Farber score for the 4-3 advantage, and she held Merchant Marine to one hit over the final two innings with two strikeouts to secure the win.

For the night, Farmingdale State hit five homeruns, 17 this season, and are on pace to break last seasons record of 26 team homeruns.

The Rams will host NYU-Poly on Saturday, March 27th in a Skyline Conference double-header starting at Noon.

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